UPDATE: The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is already firing the first salvos against Coats in this potential race. They intend to portray Coats as a "D.C. lobbyist." Here's their first press release on his campaign:
“Dan Coats is a federally registered lobbyist whose client lists include banks, private equity firms, and defense contractors. Coats is a Washington DC insider who lined his own pockets as taxpayers spent $700 billion bailing out Wall Street banks. Indianans won't ignore Dan Coats’ decade as a lobbyist working the system to gain special favors for the banking industry at the time of financial collapse and at the expense of working Americans.”UPDATE II: The hits on Coats just keep coming. Politico's Ben Smith reports that Coats has resided and voted in Virginia for the past decade.
Dan Coats is Currently a Federally Registered Lobbyist. Dan Coats is currently a federally registered lobbyists, whose clients include banks, private equity firms, and defense contractors. [Lobbying Disclosure Act Database]
Coats Lobbied for Bank of America Just As Bank Took $15 Billion in Bailout Funds. According to filings, Coats lobbied for Bank of America in October 2008, just as the bank was receiving $15 billion in bailout funds. Coats firm was compensated $120,000 in the period just before the Wall Street bailouts.
17 comments:
Dan Coats? Trying to re-enter Indiana politics?
You've got to be kidding!
Who remembers a single thing he did as senator (or as ambassador to Germany, for that matter!).
What a crisis of imagination among Republicans. No credible candidate for Brizzi's job, no credible candidate for Buyer's job, no credible candidate for Indy mayor....
At lest with Coats, we would have a senator who admitted to being a Republican. Evan Bayh is a conservative republican but pretends to be a Democrat.....Let's just leave the seat empty and save the money.
Game over. Evan is toast.
"If I had been in the Senate, I would not have voted 3 times in one month for Harry Reid Care, like Evan Bayh did.
I would not have voted 2 times for raising the debt ceiling by 2 trillion dollars, like Evan Bayh did.
I would not have voted to waste 1 trillion dollars in useless stimulus spending like Evan Bayh did.
I would not have approved 9000 earmarks like Evan Bayh did.
I would not have voted to cut Medicare by 500 billion dollars like Evan Bayh did.
I would not have voted to increase health insurance premiums like Evan Bayh did.
I would not have voted to increase taxes on the middle class like Evan Bayh did."
etc etc etc
If "DC lobbyist" is all they have on Coats, they know that they are in trouble. Coats has much more gravitas and stature than Evan has. He will match him dollar for dollar and then some.
When a two term incumbent is polling 45%, he is dead man walking. He wont get many more votes than that.
Recruiting Coats is huge. Sen Cornyn is nails. Look for Thompson to challenge Feingold, and maybe Rossi to take on Murray. Dont count out a couple big names in NY and Vermont. Even Schumer's JA is under 50%.
Dems may only win 4 Senate races on November 2. LOL
And the bank bailouts that the DSCC complains about?...
BAYH VOTED FOR THEM!!!!
lol
What the hell is an Indianan? The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee sure knows a thing or two about this state!
This will be a very competitive race. Neither candidate will inspire much passion. Bayh's ties to Big Healthcare are going to hurt him. Coats will have to convince Hoosiers why we should rehire him after a decade as a lobbyist for Big Corporate.
"Dan Coats is a Washington lobbyist for the banking industry, who lives inside the beltway, and is registered to vote on the east coast. Sounds like a great candidate for the heartland. Was Jack Abramoff not available?"
I'm thinking we have a real hit here. A "made" guy. An insider's insider. Someone who worked in Europe to roll out Bush's exciting and successful policies - such as harmonizing US economic policy with the EU maybe? And someone who has big finance's ear - yes, the same big finance who has profitted to the tune of trillions from their good buddy Obama.
Overall, Coats seems like an excellent choice for Indiana. I'm certain that he'll enable our global businesses to increase their bottom lines, despite the continued decrease in jobs and currency valuation.
Yes, the growing pains of an increasingly globalized economy will be felt in our homes and in our communities, but with folks like Dan Coats at the helm, we can be certain that the bottom line for those who are "too big to fail" will be preserved in the months and years ahead.
They are complaining about Coats being a lobbyist. That is rich. Where do they think Bayh's warche$t came from ????
Michael:
Don't be so disingenuous. Reading your post one might get the impression that you believe if Bayh is a corporatist finance sellout, Coats cannot be.
Both are members of the globalist redemopublicratican elitists who have usurped our nation in order to serve the interests of global finance.
These folks and their associates have pulled the wool over American eyes for long enough. Send them both to Guantanamo with the rest of their kind and give me someone who places the United States, the Constitution, and the citizens in first place on every issue, every time, and in every place.
Thanks so much to AI for the information, and for allowing all these insightful, caring comments. I so hope that TPTB will allow any third power candidates who qualify for the ballot, to be in the debates so that some of the truths expressed here, will be discussed before a large viewing audience.
Shorebreak...
do you believe that the Freemasons run the world, too?
This whole canard about corporations run the world is really tiresome.
The choice is very simple re Coats vs Bayh.
One wants the govt to take over health care, the other doesnt.
One wants to raise taxes on average Americans, the other wants to cut them.
One wants to spend America into oblivion, the other doesnt.
One wants the government to take an active role in every sector of the economy, and the other wants less government.
There is no purity here. We have a choice between one or the other. That is all we have always had. And when America has chosen the latter, it and its people have done pretty well. When it has chosen the former... well... not so much.
I swear. Some of the postings on this site... from left to right... is downright goofy.
Conspirators behind every tree it seems. Who knew?
Michael,
Coats has spent the last decade working for big finance. He's now running for high office and is on the "A List" of the GOP insiders who participated in the Bush Administration travesty.
Those facts are undisputed. Yet you label it a "canard" that some of us are concerned that Coats will be representing special interests rather than the people of Indiana? Are you intentionally ignoring the facts? Maybe you just born with an inability to draw rational logic connections?
Tell me the last time Coats lived in Hoosierland.....
My guy's less awful! My guy's less awful!
Mike Kole,
Don't you just love that? Here's my response to folks who take that approach:
Less awful is even worse. You vote for someone whom you place your trust in, and they go and crap all over everything they promised - and they continue doing everything that justified eliminating the last guy. In my lifetime, the Democrat/Republican Party (singular is intentional) has expanded the size and scope of the federal government by about 1000%, and spending has surpassed the expansion, even when you factor in inflation.
My conclusion is that if anyone wants smaller, limited, Constitutional government, you must commit yourselves to stop feeding the beast. Repeating the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result is insanity.
If you honestly want change, stop listening and responding. Instead, you must think and act. The difference between those two approaches is immeasurable.
We need someone new in this and someone who is in touch with Indiana. We need bold contrast between Evan Bayh and the GOP candidate.
Coats will not do the job because he and Bayh will be too busy debating who is less awful. Hoosiers need someone who is not blemished by DC and who can debate the issues. I believe Marlin Stutzman is that man.
Please check out http://goMarlin.com
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